Lahat ng Kabanata ng Divorce didn't make me your ex: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

LUNAAce was standing by the entrance to the garden, that half-cynical smile on his lips and his eyes fixed on me as if he knew exactly what I was thinking… and was thoroughly enjoying it.He wore a dark shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, tailored slacks, and that infuriatingly confident air that made it seem like he belonged anywhere — even next to my family, where he most definitely didn’t. Ace had always found excuses to skip these family gatherings. Why show up now, when we’re separating? It would be far too naïve to believe he came to help me break the news to my parents.“I hope I’m not interrupting,”he said, his voice low and polite, though his gaze never wavered from me.My parents exchanged a quick glance, and my mother’s smile spread from ear to ear.And me? I just wanted to disappear under the table.“Not at all!”my mother said brightly as she stood up.“I’m so happy you managed to come this time!”My father nodded with a cordial smile while my mother gestu

LUNAHe followed right behind me, fully aware of how much his presence unsettled me.And I regretted inviting him in the second the words had left my mouth.Damn instinct. Damn habit of caring.All I had to do was let him bleed and figure it out himself. But no.The moment I saw the red trickling down his skin, my brain forgot every reason I had to stay angry.Fine. I’d bandage him up. I’d be quick.Then he’d leave. No talking, no staring. I could handle that.I opened the apartment door and stepped inside, feeling the warmth of home clash with the cold he carried in with him.Ace walked past me without asking, straight into the kitchen—like he belonged here.I went to the bathroom cabinet, grabbed the first-aid kit.When I came back, he was already perched on the counter, flexing his wet fingers, watching the blood drip with some kind of masochistic fascination.“If you stain the counter, you’re cleaning it,” I said, tossing him a small towel.“Got a problem with my blood on your fur

LUNASigning papers shouldn’t hurt.But it did.From the very beginning, everything has hurt more than my pride would ever allow me to admit. Even now, with everything practically settled, there’s still this tightness in my chest. Like at any moment someone might interrupt the scene before the ending, yell “cut!” and everything would go back to the way it was before it all fell apart.But this isn’t a movie.And Ace was never an actor. He was flesh, bone, and a stubbornness with no end.The divorce process was… quick. Clean.In California, if both parties agree and there are no children or property disputes, the process is simple. No big hurdles. No courtroom battles or endless hearings. Just lawyers exchanging emails and signed forms that declare the end of a bond that once was love. At least for most couples—but not for us.We didn’t fight over assets. From the start, I made it clear I didn’t want anything from him. Not the house. Not the money. Not the cars. Not the companies he lo

ACEThe silence that followed was the worst part.Not the angry screams. Not the sound of the chair flying into the wall. Not the shatter of glass or the computer smashing against the floor. None of that unnerved me as much as this silence did now.I sat on the floor, surrounded by the wreckage of my office. My breathing was ragged as I tried to convince myself this was just a moment. That I would do everything in my power to bring her back. But the bitter taste in my mouth told me otherwise.She didn't back down, not even at the last minute.I closed my eyes, my face in my hands. I was covered in a cold sweat. There was blood on my fingers, seeping slowly from my swollen knuckles. I’d broken a glass shelf, two chairs, maybe three. I couldn’t remember. All I could remember was the sound of her pen on the paper. Her signature.I grabbed my phone and called Bob for an update on her.“Boss,” Bob answered quickly. His tone was cautious, as if he could already sense my mood.“Is she home?”

ACEI heard her bedroom door close.And then, finally, a smile spread across my face, filled with a satisfaction that nothing could erase. I threw myself onto the sofa with a dramatic sigh and let my body sink into the cushions, wrapping up my grand performance.“Ace Montesino, you are a genius,” I muttered, still smiling.I raised my bandaged hand and looked at the fingers covered with the gauze she had applied. Sure, it hurt a little. But they were worth every single scratch.Everything had worked exactly as I’d planned. It wasn't that I was completely drunk. Just enough to appear vulnerable in her eyes—the truth is I poured most of the bottle’s contents down the fire escape window.Luna might have called me an idiot, she might have complained, but she didn’t leave me out there. She brought me inside. She took care of me. She gave me permission to sleep in her house.I adjusted the pillow, pulled the blanket up with one of my injured hands, and let my body surrender to the couch. I